


F. Emasculata

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [46]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 10:10:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5412887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	F. Emasculata

"What is this?" Mulder asked, holding up a piece of paper to Scully. She was at the counter, pouring each of them a second glass of wine.

She looked back quickly, expecting to easily identify whatever it was, but when she saw what he had, the words left her immediately. She finished pouring, and replaced the cork in the bottle. Sitting back down at her kitchen table, she pushed aside her plate of pasta. It had been a terrible dinner choice for writing up the report on this case. But Mulder hadn't known...hadn't seen what she'd seen. Only the blandest of salads could possibly not have turned her stomach after spending days seeing those pustules festering and bursting all over the place. She sighed, taking a long drink of her wine, forgetting Mulder was still waiting for an answer.

"Well?" he prompted, his own dinner forgotten. He obviously knew what it was he held in his hand.

Another sigh, and she answered, "Test results."

"I can see that. Test results with YOUR name on them."

Scully nodded. "I was standing beside Dr. Osbourne when the pustule that infected him exploded. I had to get tested."

She didn't meet his eyes, and he could feel the tension radiating off of her. The stress she must have been under the whole time she was quarantined in that prison. All the anger he had at being kept in the dark left his body in one quick exhale of breath. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly.

Scully looked up then, but only met his gaze for a moment before her eyes fell to his half eaten plate of pasta. She shrugged, "You had enough to worry about."

He drained half his glass of wine in one gulp. "You do realize I was worried about you anyways, right?"

"Yes, and what would knowing I might have been infected changed?" She looked him in the eye then.

Mulder opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He didn't have an answer. Would he have kept going? Would he have rushed back to see her? He honestly didn't know. Almost losing her during her abduction was always fresh in his mind, and a positive diagnosis of infection would have made it a certainty that she'd be gone forever. He slowly dragged a hand down his face, inhaling deeply, and scratched at the stubble on his chin as he let the breath out. He nodded. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, "Everything was fine; I'm okay." She finished her wine and set the glass aside. "But if I have to look at this food any longer, I'm gonna throw up," she admitted, taking her plate to the sink.

Mulder smiled and looked at his own plate. "Guess I could have picked a less gory looking dinner, huh?" 

Scully smiled softly at him, "Don't worry about it. I wasn't that hungry anyways."

He shrugged, "If it's all the same to you then, I'm going to keep eating. Because this is delicious," Mulder told her, digging back into his dinner.


End file.
